Ahead of the Astana summit, Iran, Turkey and Russia clarify their positions on the Syrian issue

Tabnak – Ahead of a new round of Syria talks within the framework of Astana peace process, Iran, Russia and Turkey, as the three guarantors of the Syrian cease fire increase their diplomatic efforts regarding the war-torn Arab country. While Moscow and Ankara declare reaching decisive measures on the fate of northern Syria, Iran urges unauthorized foreign forces to leave the Syrian territories.

On Monday Feb. 11, Russia and Turkey announced they agreed on the need to take “decisive measures” to stabilize the situation in Syria’s northwestern province of Idlib, ahead of a summit between the presidents of the three guarantor states of a negotiated Syrian ceasefire, namely Iran, Russia, and Turkey.

The agreement was outlined in a joint statement released following talks between Russian Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu and Turkish Defense Minister Hulusi Akar in the Turkish capital of Ankara on Monday.

The statement, which stressed “security in the Idlib demilitarized zone,” however, did not specify what the measures would be or when they might be adopted.

“Despite provocations, we underlined the importance and need to continue partnerships between our two countries’ intelligence and military forces to establish peace and to support stability in Idlib,” it said.

Separately, Akar said that Ankara was in talks with Moscow “at all levels” in an attempt to “restore peace and stability in the region and protect interests of both countries.” He also expressed hope that such cooperation would contribute to “world peace.”

Shoigu, for his part, said that earlier this month, Russian and Turkish military experts had met in Moscow to discuss “the most important issues for the Syrian settlement regarding further stabilization in the Idlib zone and everything that concerns the eastern bank of the Euphrates.”

Meanwhile, Iranian Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif says all countries must facilitate the peace process in Syria and refrain from making decisions on its fate, stressing that foreign troops need to end their unauthorized presence in the Arab country.

"All the forces entering Syria without the permission of the official leadership must exit," Zarif said during a joint press conference with Lebanese Foreign Affairs and Expatriates Minister Gebran Bassil in Beirut on Monday.

He added that Iran is making efforts to contribute to finding a political solution to the crisis in Syria, emphasizing that any solution must protect the country’s territorial integrity.

Zarif's remarks came after a senior commander of Iran's Islamic Revolution Guards Corps (IRGC) said earlier in the day that enemies of the Islamic Republic must finally leave the region instead of expecting Iran to end its regional presence.

Iran, Russia, and Turkey, which have committed to guaranteeing negotiated peace in Syria, have been negotiating a settlement for Idlib. Ankara represents Syrian opposition interests, and Tehran and Moscow are Damascus allies.

The meeting between the Russian and Turkish defense ministers comes before a planned summit of the presidents of Iran, Russia, and Turkey on the peace process in Syria.

On Thursday, Iranian President Hassan Rouhani, Russian President Vladimir Putin, and Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan will hold a tripartite summit in the Russian coastal city of Sochi to provide further coordination among the three countries.

The three leaders, who are going to hold their fourth such meeting in the Astana format, will concentrate on the long-term settlement of the Syrian crisis.

The summit will be held before the 12th Astana talks in the Kazakh capital, Astana. The first round of the Astana talks commenced a month after the three guarantors joined efforts and brought about an all-Syria ceasefire.